Heat Recovery Opportunities in a Poultry Slaughterhouse for Generation of Hot Water: A Case Study on Energy Production

The aim of this work is to highlight the possibility of energy gains through heat recovery in an industrial plant. It was carried out in a poultry slaughterhouse, which, within its processes, consumes a very high amount of energy in various forms. It shows the usage of steam, its purpose, and why there is currently such a strong dependence on this resource. Alternatives were found for complete replacement of this energy input. In addition to the heat recovery from lubricating oil of air compressors and from refrigerant desuperheating processes after the discharge of the refrigeration compressors, the most interesting alternative was a water heater powered by mixed fuel. The mass of the proposed fuel mixture was 90% made of wood chip with 10% centrifuged sludge from the company effluent treatment station. From measurements made in the productive process relative to the consumption of water for sanitation, and from the availability of residual heat from processes, a water heater working with the mentioned fuel mixture has been proposed, reaching a payback of the investment predicted up to 3 years and 7 months. The project ensured the supply of hot water without using steam at a lower cost, which also achieved significant environmental gains.